Only the rich can afford to eat healthy

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - the rest of us gotta get by on balogna an' cheese an' crackers...

Study: Healthy eating is privilege of the rich
Aug 4`11 - A healthy diet is expensive and could make it difficult for Americans to meet new U.S. nutritional guidelines, according to a study published Thursday that says the government should do more to help consumers eat healthier.

A update of what used to be known as a food pyramid in 2010 had called on Americans to eat more foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. But if they did that, the journal Health Affairs said, they would add hundreds more dollars to their annual grocery bill. Inexpensive ways to add these nutrients to a person's diet include potatoes and beans for potassium and dietary fiber. But the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

"We know more than ever about the science of nutrition, and yet we have not yet been able to move the needle on healthful eating," he said. The government should provide help for meeting the nutritional guidelines in an affordable way. He criticized some of the marketing for a healthy diet - for example, the image of a plate of salmon, leafy greens and maybe some rice pilaf - and said a meal like that is not affordable for many Americans. Food-assistance programs are helping people make healthier choices by providing coupons to buy fruits and vegetables, Monsivais said, but some also put stumbling blocks in front of the poor.

He mentioned, as an example, a Washington state policy making it difficult to buy potatoes with food assistance coupons for women with children, even though potatoes are one of the least expensive ways to add potassium to a diet. The study was based on a random telephone survey of about 2,000 adults in King County, Wash., followed by a printed questionnaire that was returned by about 1,300 people. They note what food they ate, which was analyzed for nutrient content and estimated cost. People who spend the most on food tend to get the closest to meeting the federal guidelines for potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium, the study found. Those who spend the least have the lowest intakes of the four recommended nutrients and the highest consumption of saturated fat and added sugar.

Hilary Seligman, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said Monsivais' research is an interesting addition to the debate about healthy eating and food insecurity, her area of expertise. A lot of people assume the poor eat cheap food because it tastes good, but they would make better choices if they could afford to, said Seligman, who was not involved in the Health Affairs study. "Almost 15 percent of households in America say they don't have enough money to eat the way they want to eat," Seligman said. Recent estimates show 49 million Americans make food decisions based on cost, she added. "Right now, a huge chunk of America just isn't able to adhere to these guidelines," she said.

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[Dabs]

The rich usually don't plant gardens and tend to them.
Gardens provide plenty of great healthy foods....potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, radishes, green beans, peas, corn, lettuce, cabbage, okra, squash...even watermelon. And they are not that expensive at all, to get a garden started. The rich probably would hire someone to tend to the damn thing tho, if they had one. That's prolly why they choose to go out and eat fish eggs and shit like that, let'em have that crap!

I thought the rich were more leaning towards caviar and lobster, and foods such as that. You won't find those in a garden, and they are gross to me anyway ~LoL~
Let the fuckers have their caviar.......

 

[Douger]

Seed is cheap. Get off your ass and grow.

 

[mudwhistle]

The rich just want to bring back slavery.

The rich all eat the same exact thing.....Chilean Sea Bass.

The rich all need to be killed.

Let's go out and kill all rich people and take their dough.

 

[Douger]

The rich just want to bring back slavery.

The rich all eat the same exact thing.....Chilean Sea Bass.

The rich all need to be killed.

Let's go out and kill all rich people and take their dough.

They have meatheads for body guards. You have to get them first. Clarksville eh........

 

[editec]

It CAN BE more expensive to eat a healthy diet if one wants a diet that is not somewhat monotonous.

Beans and oats are still pretty cheap. Potatos are still fairly cheap. Milk is still kinda cheap.

The above is really all you need to eat a healthy diet.

A boring diet, I'll admit, but one that is very healthy.

Some meat is often cheap, too...if you're paying attention to meats on sale.

It's veggies and fruit (expecially out of season) that tends to be rather expensive.

 

[High_Gravity]

Yup you got it, eating healthy costs $$$$$$, thats why alot of the people that are obese typically lower income or average income here in the US, cheap foods contain alot of fats.

 

[Mr Natural]

I had Limbag on in the car just before and according to the fat fuck it doesn't matter what you eat or do as longevity and good health are completely genetic.

 

[bill5]

No, eating healthier is not "for the rich" and poor people do not eat worse because they lack money. Generally speaking, it's because frankly they tend to be dumber and/or lazier. They eat lots of fast food and pre-made, "processed" products because they're EASY, not cheaper, than eating healthy. Several examples of inexpensive healthier foods have already been noted above. And eating fast food and pre-made meals is easily more expensive than making your own.

the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

A classic example of why you can't assume something is correct just because "a study was done." Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, is a moron. I'd love to know where he got that figure.

 

[Moonglow]

eat healthy, hell, ur alive ain't ya

 

[Granny]

No, eating healthier is not "for the rich" and poor people do not eat worse because they lack money. Generally speaking, it's because frankly they tend to be dumber and/or lazier. They eat lots of fast food and pre-made, "processed" products because they're EASY, not cheaper, than eating healthy. Several examples of inexpensive healthier foods have already been noted above. And eating fast food and pre-made meals is easily more expensive than making your own.

the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

A classic example of why you can't assume something is correct just because "a study was done." Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, is a moron. I'd love to know where he got that figure.

You and Dabs have it right. Eating healthy is not limited to the rich. The rich eat extravagantly to a fault sometimes ... but it doesn't necessarily mean they're eating healthy. I'm not even up in the "middle class" category, but I know if I can raise a few veggies, herbs and flowers on a 7' x 12' deck that other people with more space can do the same. A lot of my neighbors do the same thing - it's nothing to see little gardens on their decks or patios. Hell, just having a couple tomato plants will save you a lot of money at the grocery store with tomatoes at about $1.98/lb. and a single tomato can weigh damned near that much.

Takes some time and effort ... and cooking for one person is a bitch because you have to use as many utensils as you would cooking for 2 or more people. Still, cooking it is better than all the pre-fab food in the grocers' freezers. Just skipping the chips, dips, sodas, cookies, candies, etc. is a hell of a savings. Another thing that will at least give an illusion of the good stuff being cheaper is to buy your food separately - no toilet paper, tissues, laundry soap, cleaning products - if it ain't edible, don't buy it with your food. When you're looking at the bottom line on your register ticket you do get sticker shock if all that stuff is purchased together.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Eating healthy is only affordable to the rich? Oh please. Who makes up this crap?

Shop sales, use coupons wisely, stockpile and cook from scratch. It's cheaper to eat healthy than to eat McShit. How much would it cost to feed a family of 5 from McShit? I have no idea, I've never eaten at one. Let's say $20.

Family pack (6 chicken breasts) of boneless chicken breast on sale for $1.99/lb. = $8
5 lb. pack of spuds = $4
Veggies, fresh: $3; frozen: $2

Total cost: $15

You'd still have money left over to purchase the ingredients to make homemade brownies. Six ingredients and 1/2 hour in the oven. Easy, peasy, Japanesey.

It isn't money that makes it harder to eat healthy, it's time. You have to put the time and effort into it. Most people don't do this. Millions of excuses -- not enough time, working late, outside commitments, etc. Plan ahead, cook on Sundays for the entire week and freeze meals, utilize the crock pot. Tons of ways to overcome the time factor but yes, it does take effort.

If you can afford to eat crappy you can afford to eat healthy.

 

[syrenn]

If you are talking about the poor on food stamps.. a good start to healthier foods would be to limit what food stamps can and cannot purchase in terms of junk foods.

I agree with Zoom.... its about time..AND laziness. Dabs is correct too... veggies are not that difficult in more rural areas... however growing a garden takes time and effort.

 

[St.Blues]

If you are talking about the poor on food stamps.. a good start to healthier foods would be to limit what food stamps can and cannot purchase in terms of junk foods.

I agree with Zoom.... its about time..AND laziness. Dabs is correct too... veggies are not that difficult in more rural areas... however growing a garden takes time and effort.

Do you have a garden? I do..... I ate some fresh picked veggies today. I like squash flowers..
I rinse them, dab em in milk with a egg whipped in then roll them in a pan cake batter and fry them. Taste better then the squash...........................

Blues

 

[uscitizen]

Most everyone can eat healthy. Most are just too damn lazy to prepare healthy food from scratch.

 

[syrenn]

If you are talking about the poor on food stamps.. a good start to healthier foods would be to limit what food stamps can and cannot purchase in terms of junk foods.

I agree with Zoom.... its about time..AND laziness. Dabs is correct too... veggies are not that difficult in more rural areas... however growing a garden takes time and effort.

Do you have a garden? I do..... I ate some fresh picked veggies today. I like squash flowers..
I rinse them, dab em in milk with a egg whipped in then roll them in a pan cake batter and fry them. Taste better then the squash...........................

Blues

A garden...sort of....

 

[syrenn]

Most everyone can eat healthy. Most are just too damn lazy to prepare healthy food from scratch.

bingo...

 

[St.Blues]

If you are talking about the poor on food stamps.. a good start to healthier foods would be to limit what food stamps can and cannot purchase in terms of junk foods.

I agree with Zoom.... its about time..AND laziness. Dabs is correct too... veggies are not that difficult in more rural areas... however growing a garden takes time and effort.

Do you have a garden? I do..... I ate some fresh picked veggies today. I like squash flowers..
I rinse them, dab em in milk with a egg whipped in then roll them in a pan cake batter and fry them. Taste better then the squash...........................

Blues

A garden...sort of....

Sort of huh? What is sort of........?

 

[St.Blues]

Most everyone can eat healthy. Most are just too damn lazy to prepare healthy food from scratch.

bingo...

Bingo.. That"s my word!

Blues

 

[syrenn]

Do you have a garden? I do..... I ate some fresh picked veggies today. I like squash flowers..
I rinse them, dab em in milk with a egg whipped in then roll them in a pan cake batter and fry them. Taste better then the squash...........................

Blues

A garden...sort of....

Sort of huh? What is sort of........?

its a bit of space that i commandeered .... and planted tomatoes and beans in containers...some zucchini and blackberries..... so sort of. Its 40 miles from home.